The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs junior representative teams opened their season on the weekend at Belmore Sports Ground against the Sydney Roosters.
A year on from the 2020 season being cut short due to COVID-19, the club’s Tarsha Gale Cup, Harold Matthews and SG ball teams all made their long-awaited returns on Saturday.
The triple header at Belmore was enjoyed by the club’s 2021 members, family and friends as the next generation of Bulldogs was on show to kick start the rugby league season.
Tarsha Gale
The Bulldogs Tarsha Gale Cup team ran into a very good football side in the Roosters on the weekend who claimed a 42-0 win over the home side. The visitors ran in four first half tries and added a further five in the second half. With too many errors and lacking some combinations, the girls struggled to contain the Roosters. Whilst at times they were competitive, the girls acknowledge after the game their attention to detail and consistency needs to be better in upcoming games. With a lot of new faces in the team, it’s a good learning curve for the girls that they need to work harder to get the results.
Tarsha Gale Cup Highlights: Round 1 v Indigenous Academy
Match: Bulldogs v Indigenous Academy
Round 1 -
home Team
Bulldogs
away Team
Indigenous Academy
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney
Harold Matthews
The Bulldogs Harold Matthews team suffered a 12-6 defeat to the Roosters. Canterbury grabbed the first four-pointer of the game, before the Roosters responded six minutes later with their own try. With the game locked at six-all, both teams looked to break the deadlock and it wasn’t until the 57th minute when the visitors crashed over next to the posts for their second try of the afternoon. With only a minute left on the clock, the Roosters held on for a six-point win. Whilst the score line was close and the Roosters deserve to win the game, Saturday’s opening game of the season will be looked upon by the Bulldogs as one that got away. To the team’s credit, it’s the most disappointing they have been after a game, but they realised after Trent Barrett’s presentation to the team earlier in the week, their performance only reinforced Trent’s word of keeping it simple and working hard early in the season to get the right results.
Match: Bulldogs v Roosters
Round 1 -
home Team
Bulldogs
away Team
Roosters
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney
Harold Matthews Highlights: Round 1 v Roosters
SG Ball
The Bulldogs SG Ball team claimed a 24-16 win over the Roosters thanks to a double from local junior Paul Alamoti. Alamoti laid on the first try for the Bulldogs with a lovely flick pass to winger Brendon Taupuai to score early. The centre then threw an offload in a seven-pass play that ended with fullback Kai Brady spinning over. A third try was to follow when second-rower Lleyton Borg crashed over to give the home side a 14-0 lead at the break. The match was definitely a game of two halves as the Roosters rallied and got themselves back into the game with three tries in ten minutes early in the second half to lead 16-14 with 20 minutes left in the match. A double to Alamoti in the 54th and 61st minutes as well as a penalty goal late in the match sealed the win for Canterbury. It was a win that was built on character following a number of errors made in the second period of the game and to finish the way they did, is a really good sign for the players and staff.
SG Ball Highlights: Round 1 v Roosters
Match: Bulldogs v Roosters
Round 1 -
home Team
Bulldogs
away Team
Roosters
Venue: Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney
Meanwhile, the North Coast Bulldogs defeated Northern Tigers 28-12 in the Andrew Johns Cup, while the Northern Tigers claimed a 30-22 win over the North Coast Bulldogs in the Laurie Daley Cup.
Upcoming Fixtures: Junior Representative Round 2
| Grade | Opponent | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarsha Gale Cup | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Friday 12th February | 7:30PM | PointsBet Stadium |
| Harold Matthews Cup | Central Coast Roosters | Saturday 13th February | 2:00PM | Morry Breen Oval |
| SG Ball Cup | Victoria Thunderbolts | Saturday 13th February | 1:30PM | Belmore Sports Ground |
